A conventional search engine allows a user to perform a multi-part task by entering a series of search queries. For example, a user who is planning a vacation may first create a search query to identify hotels within a destination city. The user may then input another search query to explore transportation options within that city. The user may then manually create and input yet another search query to determine the current weather of that city, and so on. The search engine responds to each of these search queries in independent fashion, e.g., based solely on the key terms within each query. Further, the search engine uses the search queries to retrieve relevant information from a single indexed corpus of data using a single search paradigm.
The above traditional approach provides acceptable results in many scenarios, but is not fully satisfactory. For example, the user may have difficulty formulating a search query which expresses a topic of interest. This problem is compounded in those circumstances in which the terms in the search query have multiple interpretations. Overall, traditional approach may be experienced by a user as potentially imprecise and cumbersome.
A user may confront similar challenges in the course of performing a multi-part task using a collection of application modules (colloquially referred to as “apps”). For example, for each part of the task, the user may manually review a collection of available application modules to determine a relevant application module. The user may then use the selected application module to perform a part of the task. The user may then repeat this manual operation for the next part of the task. Again, this procedure may be experienced by a user as tedious and prone to error. For example, the user may have difficulty in manually identifying an application module that is relevant to a current stage of the task. The user may then have difficulty in interacting with the application module that is selected.
These above shortcomings are illustrative rather than exhaustive. Traditional techniques may have yet other drawbacks.